jack being a fantasy writer when he was a kid and writing about demons and villains and superheroes is a little bit funny because it’s his least read genre 😂
Happy Hour - Marlowe Granados Open Water - Caleb Azumah Nelson Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell I'm A Fan - Sheena Patel Our Wives Under The Sea - Julia Armfield Boulder - Eva Baltasar Sula - Toni Morrison Panenka - Ronan Hession Normal People - Sally Rooney Young Mungo - Douglas Stuart Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver
i’ve said it before, but “sula” fundamentally changed something in me. i think about “whatever’s burning in me is mine! // and i’ll split this town in two and everything in it before i’ll let you put it out!” several times a day. it hasn’t been long since i first read it, so i’m going to wait a bit before i give it a re-read, but it’s definitely a top 3 book for me. i have a tradition of re-reading “on earth we’re briefly gorgeous” at the start of every year; this time i’m annotating my copy and nearly every page is highlighted 😭😭
“It’s like reading sheet music” - Jack has obviously never sight read any sheet music 😂 But I agree, Caleb Azumah Nelson’s work is so beautiful - so lyrical and poetic.
i was in a quite severe reading slump and rereading my favorites helped me a lot. last year i reread all of jane austen's novels in english for the first time (english is not my first language so it was a JOURNEY), also at rhe beginning of the year i reread the goldfinch and it was another great experience of rediscovering this amazing text. i think rereading books helped me a lot with understanding how I changed as a person, how my reading taste changed and define my reading taste NOW and what i actually want to read in terms of themes and genres
my favourite book of all time is “veronika decides to die” i think i’ve read it multiple times and each time i’ve managed to find and think of something new and it’s just so nice i don’t even know somehow there’s comfort
I'm so glad you added this video, Jack. I used to avoid re-reading as my TBR list has always been so long. As I've got older though, I have returned to books and discovered a whole new experience - even those I originally hadn't enjoyed. I think the experience reflects the time in your life, personal events, your mood, and the writing that "speaks" to you at that time. It is well worth returning to a book!
this video just made me soso happy- seeing someone who loves books so much talking about books is always an amazing time. Jacks eyes really shined in this video and it showed how much you really love books.
Jack, please stop releasing such amazing recommendations! I spend more time curating my TBR list (which now resembles some sort of abstract novel in itself), than I do actually reading books! You are the only person I can watch recommending books. Keep doing what you're doing, I love it!
I’m excited for this! Rereading is so hard for me because there are some that just hit the same like Frankenstein and others I reread and am just like…wow I liked this? Insane.
This is why I'm curious to reread "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" after a couple of years. I had never read anything like it when I picked it up and ended up giving it five stars, and now that I've discovered how much I dislike novels similar to/recommended for fans of it I'm wondering how I'm going to feel about it this time.
Open Water is one of my favorite books of all time and I found out about it originally on your channel! I have also been thinking of rereading it since it is a short yet complex and beautiful story.
That's what I was thinking. What if I re-read my fav book (alone with you in the ether) and I don't love it as much as I did when reading it for the first time. Because obviously the circumstances, feelings etc I had back then when I read the book aren't present anymore. Maybe it's better if I don't re-read it and keep the memories & feelings I have in the past. Because looking back and thinking about it gives me a feeling I don't want to lose when re-reading. Hope this makes sense! 🥺
as a theatre student who moved across the country because of if we were villains by m.l.rio, i'm currently reading and annoting that book for the 5th time and it's so fun reading my annotations from a few years ago :)
I'd always considered The Secret History, Kafka on the Shore, and The Magus by John Fowles to be three of my favorite books, and I was delighted to find that when I read them all for the second time, I enjoyed them even more. That told me I was absolutely right to rank them among my favorites. It's unfortunate when a book doesn't hold up, but sometimes you were on to something with that initial “wow” factor...
The secret history is also one of my favourite books, I just reread it and still love it. My favourite murakami is a wild sheep chase, was a little disturbed with Kafka on the shore.
Yes for Open Water! Living in the US, maybe it’s more popular in the UK, but I literally never hear anyone talk about that book and it’s one of my favorites of all time.
Wilhelm Hauff's "The Cold Heart and Other Fairy-Tales" (1958 Latvian edition) has been one of my all time books since i was a child. It is in my parents' library and i sometimes pick it up and re-read even though i am an adult. To me, it is absolutely magical
This is hands down my favorite video from you, Jack. Thank you so much for all the fabulous book recomomendations! Cannot wait to dive right into these books :) Have a great day!
i love rereading books! i always try to reread at least 5 every year just to check how i feel about it- this year i’ve reread beautiful world where are you, which i previously did not like, and ended up loving it second time round! can’t wait to see more reread content :)
I can’t wait to read your book if you’re able to incorporate all of those things that inspire you! I love lyrical and descriptive writing so much and it’s kind of hard to find. I also can’t wait to see your wrap up for these books
So so many best wishes for you and all the books you're going to write! I loved what you said about writing fictionalized retelling of your family's weekend trips. Here's hoping you reread your favourites and write what you want to write! ❤
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the books after youve re-read them! I read Hamnet for the first time this year and it stuck with me more than anything else I've read so far this year The audio is super clear with your mic, but just letting you know the volume fluctuates a bit. Especially at the end it was suddenly quite loud. But otherwise, great video! Thank you as always!
I absolutely love this! I love the idea of allowing yourself to go back to your favourite book and read it again in order to rediscover it, find something new. I think now there’s this pressure to read EVERYTHING just to be in the conversation, like “YA is not my thing but I will read it anyway just because I want to know what everyone on tiktok is talking about”. There’s this horrible FOMO we are all experiencing which is taking the fun out of reading tbh. I think we should make rereading your favourite book until the spine breaks popular again ❤
If you are a rereader you need to read Unfinished Business by Vivian Gornick. It's a memoir following her as she unpacks the books she read when she was young and what it means to reread and re-fall in love with books and return to the art that shaped us.
I would love to see your analysis and annotations for every book you mentioned because it seems unfair to the other books to get a essay on normal people and not the rest, but I understand if the annotations spoil the book you are working on ❤ so just sending the message and good vibes ❤
I just picked up Boulder and am very excited to read my first Jack Edwards recommendation! I set a personal goal to revisit all of my childhood books (and some I always wanted to read) now that I'm an adult. It's been the best time, showing me a little of my past self as well as celebrating the pure, doing-this-for-me-only part of reading. Highly recommend!
YOUNG MUNGO, I am so happy to see this title. This novel stayed with me for so long, so painfully beautiful. I am waiting to read Shuggy Bain but I think i need to be in the right mindset for it.
Re-reading books we loved when we were younger and has nostalgia associated to isn't like watching things like macgyver now and be disapointed with? I don't know if I had the courage to read the most nostalgic ones...😅
About dialogue, Jamie Scott Bell has this book called The Art Of War For Writers. And he describes dialogue as compressed action. I found that super helpful. Also....isn't it demented how much we like to make readers cry?
I do find it really funny that as Jack lists his favorite parts of Sula (the human interaction, understanding, and recollection of character's pasts to make them who they are) are spot on for what makes it great, buutttt I think her book Beloved does all those parts too, just better and on a much higher level as a writer
I would love to watch videos where you outline and analyze the special writing techniques used in these books that captured your heart. (i.e. put the magic behind these books into words so that an aspiring author could use these techniques to attempt their own magic on a page)
When I heard the intro I immediately thought of Demon Copperhead. Such a great book, the character of Demon is so well done, i'm glad it made the list!
listening to this while getting rid of the mold that has built up on my window makes me feel like you're facetiming me and keeping me entertained so thanks ig 😭
I read The Razors Edge in 2018 and I remember thinking that it was a Top 3 book, however I cannot recall the plot at all so I stopped saying it was one of my favorites haha The Picture of Dorian Gray was also one of my favorites but I havent reread it in 7 years or so. I also haven't reread Animal Farm (one I used to say that was my favorite book ever) in a long long time, so I feel like I need to reread these three and perhaps update my Top 3. I can say that Persuasion by Jane Austen is probably one of my favorite books ever as well as A Doll's House by Ibsen, Anne of Green Gables and a Christmas Carol. The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Song of Achilles are two of my contemporary favorites too. I think I'm not in my reread era yet just because I really want to tackle my TBR this year haha
Hi Jack! If you enjoyed Eva Baltasar you would enjoy Irene Solar. She is from Catalonia, the same region as Eva. Irene is translated also in English, and I think you will enjoy how she speaks about folklore and nature. ❤
I would be very interested to see how you re-read these books. How do you analyse the sentences with its metaphors and character building and descriptive parts. What goes through your head? What do you anotate. I would find it very interesting and entertaining.
What I love about Jack is the fact that if I ever would get the possibility to meet him, I know it would feel like meeting an old friend that you‘ve missed and not a stranger. It’s not just because of the videos , it’s because of his choice of words, his little funny jokes and his views on life :) I will be buying and inhaling a book that is written by him when it finally gets published ☺️💗
Wife under the sea is an actual gem. As someone fascinated by underwater exploration and the mysteries of the deep, "Wives Under the Sea" had me hooked from the very first page. The author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail really transported me to the depths of the ocean alongside the brave protagonists. Plus, the intertwining of historical events with a touch of romance added an extra layer of intrigue.
I just finished this phenomenal new book of fairy tales entitled Sillies, Fancies, and Trifles - it was phenomenal and I think you'd love it. It would go with the lovely recommendations here. Keep up the beautiful videos :)
Have you ever considered running a podcast? I find your voice very calming and easy to listen to, plus your thoughts on literature are very engaging. I can't wait to read your book one day (:
no but you're so real because im in my final semester of my final year and my love for lit id dying. it's not the workload as much as the lack of motivation. i just got my grade back for an essay i've been stressed for, 65. disappointing given that we did not have a proper academic, instead given a phd teacher who did not even help nor support. i'm so disheartened,
This year I decided to rate all the books I read (on StoryGraph), and one of the problems I’ve come across is “but I rated that other book 5 stars, so do I have to lower that rating since I find this new book better?” I tend to be in specific moods when reading and I’m convinced I tend to like/dislike books depending on that mood. I therefore also like to reread books, just in case my mood has changed and if I receive the book differently. That said, I also reread a lot because I like to know what’s going to happen, so that I can enjoy the book (and movies and series as well) instead of worrying about what’s going to happen.
The windows were located in the attic. Some of these windows were a door to starlight. Secrets were hidden behind iron bars on the floor below. The air that filtered through the iron bars brought life to this place. The kitchen was on the lower floor. It was divided into three parts, its most precious treasure was in the center. To which work do these clues belong?
I am a total believer in re-reading books. Always get something new or notice a different perspective. When I already know the plot, it’s easier for me to focus on character development, foreshadowing and all the little things that make a book great.
